Radiology Review Seminar

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Radiology Review Seminar
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Physically and Mentally Preparing for the
Examination
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The Night Before the Exam

• Stay close to the exam site
• Sleep in a comfortable hotel
• Dont talk about the exam
• Eat a light meal for dinner
• Avoid alcohol, coffee and dessert foods
• If traveling from out of town, bring a pillow
  form home, a loud alarm clock and extra cash
• Layout the clothes you will be wearing for the
  exam (loose fitting, comfortable clothes)
• Gather your exam entrance ticket and Photo ID.

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The Day of the Exam

• Dont work
• Eat light meals
• Bring gum, candy, Tylenol or aspirin
• Avoid sitting under an air or heating vent
• Bring a light sweater
• Synchronize your watch with the time keeping
  device at the exam site
• Pace yourself during the exam
• Pick the same letter for guessing

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Calculators and Calculations

• Do not bring a calculator with you to the exam.
  If you need to calculate something, ask the on
  site personnel for a calculator.
• Perform each math calculation TWICE before
  selecting an answer.

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Difficult Questions

• Do not spend more than two or three minutes on
  any one question

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Pacing

• Your should judge your speed by trying to be on
  question 100 at a point 1 ½ hours into the exam
• Use your Mock Registry Exams as a guide for you
  exam test taking speed

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Guessing

• You are encouraged to provide an answer for each
  question on the ARRT exam
• At the very minimum you stand a 25 chance of
  selecting the correct answer
• You are able to increase your probability for
  success in selecting the correct answer if you
  are able to eliminate one or two of the available
  choices
• When you are faced with having to guess at an
  answer, choose one letter for all you guesses.
  We suggest the letter C for suCCess!!!

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Test Taking Skills

• Answering Multiple choice questions
• The Structure of Questions
• Statement
• In the form of question including a distracter
• The Distracters
• Designed so there is a correct answer, a closely
  related choice and two choices that are weakly
  related to the topic

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Answering Multiple Choice Questions

• Read the entire questions and all the choices
  before choosing an answer.
• Look for key words (Triggers) that target
  important information
• Dont assume information unless it is stated
• A common error. We tend to base questions upon
  our practical experience. We then loose site of
  the underlying principle or concept the question
  is based on.

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Answering Multiple Choice Questions

• Determine two choices that are the least likely
  ones and eliminate them first
• Choose the best answer from the remaining two
  choices

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Example

• What is the term used to identify an x-ray that
  has undergone a change in direction upon
  interacting with the atoms of an absorber?
• A. incident photon
• B. secondary photon
• C. primary photon
• D. scattered photon

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Key words

• Change in direction

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Eliminate two choices

• A. Incident photon
• C. Primary photon

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Choose the best answer from the remaining answer

• B. Secondary photons (photons that are emitted
  from atoms of an absorber)
• D. Scattered photon (photons that have undergone
  a change in direction)

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Addressing Double-Multiple or Multiple-Multiple
Questions

• Evaluate each of the items as if you were being
  asked a True / False question
• After completion select the choice that fits your
  True / False analysis

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Example

• What colors listed below are considered Primary
  Colors?
• 1. Red 3. Green
• 2. Yellow 4. Blue
• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1, 2, and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3, and 4

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Correct answer

• C

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Addressing Select the Best Set of Exposure
Factors Questions

• Identify if you are being asked a photographic or
  geometric question
• Radiographic density are photographic questions

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Example

• Select the Set of exposure factors below that
  will yield the image with the greatest
  radiographic density
• A. 79 kVp 500 mA .1 sec 36 1.5 mm Fs
• B. 90 kVp 350 mA .2 sec 40 1 mm FS
• C. 85 kVp 350 mA .25 sec. 72 2.5 mm FS
• D. 80 kVp 800 mA .0625 36 .5 mm FS

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Addressing Select the Best Set of Exposure
Factors Questions

• Scan the list of given factors and delete any
  factors that are not related to the question
• Focal Spot size can be eliminated because this is
  a Geometric Factor that is not related to the
  question

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Addressing Select the Best Set of Exposure
Factors Questions

• Scan each column heading and ask yourself what am
  I looking form in this column
• Greatest or least
• kVp greatest
• mA greatest mAs
• Time greatest mAs
• SID least

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Addressing Select the Best Set of Exposure
Factors Questions

• If one set of factors meets ALL your
  requirements you may not need to go any farther.
  However if you are unsure at this pint proceed to
  the next steep

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Addressing Select the Best Set of Exposure
Factors Questions

• Calculate the given mAs for each set of factors
• A. 50
• B. 70
• C. 200
• D. 50

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Addressing Select the Best Set of Exposure
Factors Questions

• Go across each of the remaining columns and
  assign a value for all of the variables
• mAs example
• A. 1
• B. 2
• C. 3
• D. 1

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Addressing Select the Best Set of Exposure
Factors Questions

• After assigning each column a value add up each
  column for A, B, C, etc.
• The line with the greatest of least, depending on
  what you are looking for, will be the selection.

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Example

• kVp
• A. 1
• B. 4
• C. 3
• D. 2

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Example

• Distance
• A. 3
• B. 2
• C. 1
• D. 3

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Add each line

• A. 5
• B. 8
• C. 7
• D. 6

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Select the correct answer

• B